1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to surgical devices; and, more particularly to apparatus for preventing breakage of the bag of a tracheal tube during insertion thereof in an operation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Tracheal tubes are used in the surgical field in carrying out many operations. Such tubes are used in tracheotomies and have inflatable bags associated therewith. These bags are generally toroidially shaped inflatable bags surrounding the tube and glued thereto and are critical in certain operations. For example, such bags, after insertion of the tube into the patient to a predetermined depth, are inflated to block off the trachea. If gastric juices go around the tracheal tube in any sort of regurgitative process, it can be extremely dangerous to the patient. Also, if foreign objects, such as teeth or other debris, go down into the lung, it can be very dangerous. Thus, such bags are critical in certain operations, such as in cricothrotomies and traceotomies. However, these bags are generally made of thin-walled plastic material, such as polyvinyl, and break or tear easily. Thus, when the tracheal tube is inserted into the incised area of a patient, and/or into other instrumentation used in the operation, the bag can easily be torn by engaging sharp edges of the cartilage of the patient. One such instrumentation is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,688,773 to Sol Weiss, applicant herein.
Such tubes with the bags attached are quite expensive and must be discarded if the bag tears or is otherwise broken. In addition to the foregoing, such tracheal tubes have varying diameters. For example, most adult tracheal tubes, with which such bags are used, are between 7 to 12 mm in outer diameter. Any means for protecting such bags from breakage should be able to accommodate tracheal tubes within this general area of varying diameters.
There thus exists a need for apparatus for prventing breakage of the bags of tracheal tubes when such tubes are used in operations which apparatus is inexpensive and can be quickly and easily inserted on to tracheal tubes of varying diameters prior to insertion into an incised area or into instrumentation then be withdrawn therefrom after such insertion thereby allowing inflation of the bag.